Goto-retto, group of more than 125 islands, 249 sq mi (645 sq km), Nagasaki prefecture, in the East China Sea, off W Kyushu, Japan. Fukue is the largest island. Whaling and fishing are the major occupations.

Japanese Gotō-rettō

Archipelago, East China Sea, part of Nagasaki prefecture, Japan. Lying off the western coast of Japan, the chain comprises more than 100 islands, of which 34 are inhabited. The five main ones are Fukue, Hisaka, Naru, Uku, and Nakadori; the capital is Fukue, on Fukue Island. They have a total area of 266 sq mi (689 sq km), stretching about 60 mi (100 km) from northeast to southwest. The islands were a gateway to Japan for the introduction of Chinese culture. Fishing is the major activity in the northern islands; agriculture predominates in the southern islands.

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See Gotō Islands